The 404 Media Podcast

This week we start with a massive story about location data. Privacy advocates gained access to a tool bought by multiple U.S. agencies called Locate X, which tracks smartphones around the world. We focused on how it can be used to track abortion clinic visitors. After the break we have a special guest: Becky Ferreira, author of our recently launched column The Abstract! Becky tells us all about her journey into science journalism and a couple of the studies she's covered. In the subscribers-only section, Jason explains how he found a Musk-funded PAC was targeting opposing Snapchat ads to Muslim and Jewish voters in the U.S.

YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGsobtws2MU

• Inside the U.S. Government-Bought Tool That Can Track Phones at Abortion Clinics
• Is There Life on Europa?
• This Is Exactly How an Elon Musk-Funded PAC Is Microtargeting Muslims and Jews With Opposing Messages

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This episode is sponsored by DeleteMe. Friend of 404 Media Matthew Gault talks to Rachel Tobac, CEO of SocialProof Security, about the ways scammers and criminals are using AI, and how it's changing social engineering attacks.

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In this special interview episode of the 404 Media podcast, I talked to Susanna Gibson, a nurse practitioner who ran for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in 2023 and is now a victim advocate for folks targeted by non-consensual intimate imagery online—after becoming one herself last year.

Most people probably recognize Gibson from her candidacy and the news stories surrounding it. While she was running for office, images of her having sex with her then-husband started circulating on the internet without her consent. But I had the chance to get to know her a little deeper: We got into why she became a nurse, what inspired her to enter politics, and the moment she found out about the videos. The experience changed the trajectory of her life.

We talk about her shift to advocacy with her nonprofit, MyOwn Image, which has the mission of fighting technology-facilitated gendered violence. Gibson recently introduced model legislation for states that provides a framework for addressing image-based sexual abuse.

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This week we start with Joseph's story about how the weapon found on the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO murderer was a particular 3D printed design. Then Jason tells us what he found about the alleged killer Luigi Mangione through his online accounts, and why, ultimately, this kind of journalism might not matter. After the break, Sam talks about how various healthcare companies removed pages about their leadership after the murder, and what we're seeing when it comes to social content moderation around it. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about Congress getting big mad at Apple and Google after 404 Media's reporting on deepfake apps.

YouTube version: https://youtu.be/HuyJp3QDTbk

• 404 Media Objects to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's Subpoena to Access Our Reporting
• UnitedHealthcare Shooting Person of Interest Had 3D Printed Glock
• Luigi Mangione Played 'Among Us,' Breathes Air
• Major Health Insurance Companies Take Down Leadership Pages Following Murder of United Healthcare CEO
• Moderators Across Social Media Struggle to Contain Celebrations of UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Assassination
• Congress Pushes Apple to Remove Deepfake Apps After 404 Media Investigation

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So, the Ticketmaster hack got a lot, lot worse. Jason breaks down why in the first half of the show. After the break, we talk more Ticketmaster, and how scalpers have teamed up with hackers to liberate "non-transferable" tickets. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph explains the latest with sales of netflow data to the U.S. government.

• Ticketmaster Confirms Hack in SEC Filing
• The Ticketmaster Hack Is Becoming a Logistical Nightmare for Fans and Brokers
• Scalpers Work With Hackers to Liberate Ticketmaster's ‘Non-Transferable’ Tickets
• U.S. Nuke Agency Buys Internet Backbone Data

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